Venture Bound: Remains of the German war machine

Friday

I recently gave a talk based on the book, “Beyond the Beach: The Allied War Against France,” written by my son-in-law Stephen Bourque, a military historian.

World War II started in Europe in 1939 and was a disaster for France. The French surrendered in seven weeks to Germany's blitzkrieg techniques. Britain lost much of its weaponry but rescued most of its troops from Dunkirk. France became a base of operations for the Germans, and 40 percent of French manufacturing turned to producing war materials and weapons for Germany.

Something that is seldom talked about was the rain of bombs this brought upon the French population. Because the Germans were making so much use of French facilities, the Allies’ attacks on them caused much damage to non-military structures and civilian populations.

Daylight bombing turned out to be inaccurate and the Germans could shoot down more planes, so Britain took to carpet bombing at night in the hope that it would destroy valuable factories making military equipment.

That ensured even more collateral death and damage. The allies bombed 1,570 French cities and towns killing 68,778 men, women and children over the course of World War II. This was greater than the damage done to Britain by the German bombings and attacks with rockets. More than 100,000 French were injured and 432,000 houses were completely destroyed.

During attacks on Normandy during the D-Day landings the Allies bombed railroads, bridges and armored sites, killing more French citizens -- 10,000 -- than German soldiers -- 7,000.

Many of the bombing raids were against the V1 flying bomb, an early cruise missile that Hitler intended as a "vengeance weapon" against the British. He hoped to create terror in London as revenge for the bombing they were doing in Germany. From French bases, 9,521 were launched, but with the use of anti-aircraft, balloons on cables and fighter planes the Allies learned to shoot many of them down.

My daughter Debra Anderson (quartermaster general of the VFW) and her husband, Stephen Bourque, were able to visit V1 and V2 missile sites. For my talk Stephen had sent me pictures of areas bombed. One large cement structure seemed especially important, the Blockhaus at Eperlecques -- built by the Germans with slave labor to house rockets. The blockhaus was practically impenetrable by bombs, even bombs developed specifically to destroy it. But the bombs took a heavy toll on the slaves being used to construct it.

To avoid detection V2 rockets were shot from mobile launchers that could be moved around the northern part of France. The Allies spent much time and energy trying to find these sites and destroy them, but they could be set up so quickly that it was almost impossible to stop them.

The V2 rocket sites hurled bombs carrying a warhead of 2,200 pounds at 3,500 mph at London. Victims heard the incoming rockets only after they had hit because they were faster than the speed of sound. When one exploded it could create a crater 30-40 yards wide and 15 yards deep.

The consequences of the V2’s success had implications for targets as far away as the United States. Wernher von Braun was the German aerospace engineer developing this rocket technology. The Germans hoped that with a little more time they could develop rockets that would reach the United States.

At the end of the war von Braun and his team escaped from Russian-occupied territory to surrender to the U.S. Army. Braun and his team went on to advance space science in America and help us reach the moon.

Debra, my daughter, made a number of research trips to France with Stephen. They spent a lot of time in northern France where many of these sites are located. She recommends visiting the Blockhaus at Eperlecques, which has been converted into a museum. It's an impressive structure with descriptions written in English and French.

On one trip, they flew into Charles de Gaulle Airport outside of Paris and drove two-and-a-half hours north. You could also drive south 30 minutes from Calais on the English Channel. The museum has a website and you should find the location on the map before venturing out.

There are also missile sites at Siracourt, which is an hour south of Eperlecques and Val Ygot at Ardouval, another hour-and-a-half west. The coastal towns in the area include Calais, Bologne-Rouen and Dieppe, all of which are pleasant.

Debra and Stephen particularly enjoy visiting Rouen, which is rich in history. Claude Monet made numerous paintings of the cathedral there, and the town has a plaza commemorating Joan of Arc.

Getting off the beaten path can make for an enjoyable, and often surprising, adventure.

Reach Wayne Anderson at andersonwp@missouri.edu.

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